


The Mother and Bride

by Chie (Chierafied)



Series: Drabblers one shots SK [5]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Arranged Marriage, Drama, Edo Period, F/M, First Meetings, Humor, Travel, Two Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-11
Updated: 2016-03-28
Packaged: 2018-04-01 20:03:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4032826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chierafied/pseuds/Chie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After long negotiations, the Shogunate has finally granted the youkai lands of their own. As the final seal for their fresh agreement, a match is made, and an official's daughter is sent from Edo to the Izumo province, to go away as a youkai's bride.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Mother and the Bride

Kagome sat on the plush cushions and leaned against the wooden wall of the _norimono_. From outside, voices filtered in; the whinny of a horse, the creak of an armour, the even, marching rhythm of footsteps. The bamboo curtains were drawn, shading her from the sun and enclosing her in the small space, leaving her alone with her nervous thoughts. The shoulders that were carrying her were steady; the litter never swayed as the procession steadily made its way towards Izumo.

And inside the closed _norimono_ , surrounded by the guards, soldiers and retainers of the Higurashi clan, she sat agitatedly picking at the heavy brocaded silk of her kimono.

She knew it had never been about her, that in the end it all boiled down to politics. She understood the importance of this all. But even though she had made up her mind, even though she clung to her resolution, her stomach kept wounding in knots. For albeit she knew that her destination was the province of Izumo, that she was on her way to the wedding ceremony, in so many ways this was a journey into the unknown.

When their trip had begun, she had barely been able to sit still. Giddy excitement had bubbled inside her, and she had drawn the curtains back and eagerly craned her head to see the passing landscape, the streets they travelled. But that had all died down pretty quickly when a peasant watching the procession had thrown a stone at her litter. Just thinking back to the incident, she could still hear the angry shout.

Demon’s whore, he had cursed her.

She had kept the curtain closed after that.

And since then, days had passed and leagues stretched. By now, Edo was far behind them, together with her home, her friends, her family… Everything she knew. She had left it all behind, never to return.

She knew this treaty was a product of years of negotiation between the youkai faction and the Shogunate. She knew it was an honour for her entire clan that they had chosen her. But the great big unknown still made her squirm and restlessly worry the long sleeves of her kimono. It did not feel near as exciting as it had been, when she had still been in Edo. The closer they got to the border of the Izumo province, the more nervous she felt. She wasn’t so sure what she had actually been roped into, and at the same time she was acutely aware that there was no going back now.

* * *

Two days later it actually happened. The procession came to a halt, the continuous movement she had grown so used to stopped suddenly.

“My lady,” a handmaiden spoke softly, “we have arrived at Izumo’s border.”

Kagome’s knuckles were white as her hands squeezed into fists. There was a lump in her throat.

The retinue that had guarded her passage from Edo would turn back here. At the border she would meet strangers, the people of her new clan tasked to accompany her to her new home. Only her maids would stay with her all the way and until the end.

The carriers set the _norimono_ down. She heard the muffled voice of the guard leading her escort to exchange a few words and then a foreign female voice spoke.

“And what about the bride? Am I to see her at all?”

Kagome stiffened. Her bowels might have as well turned to lead, but somehow she managed to find that courage and determination deep within; in spite of her uneasiness and nervousness, she found herself moving. Sliding over the door and climbing out of the litter, she straightened herself, coming face to face with a tall woman.

She was dressed in rich clothing, white fur lining her shoulders. Her silvery white hair was arranged on two long tails, in a style which left her pointed ears exposed. The markings looked vivid on her pale face. But the most striking feature of all was those golden eyes that now bore into her, piercing and assessing.

It was so very obvious this was a demon, and a highly ranking one most like. Kagome set her jaw and held firm, meeting that appraising golden gaze evenly.

The red lips curled into a slow smile.

“Oh, yes. I am sure you will do nicely,” the demon purred. And before Kagome had a chance to do as much as blink, the tall woman was pulling her into her arms. She held her firmly, her nose brushing against the side of her throat in passing.

Then she released her and took a step back.

“I am very pleased, so that stubborn git better be as well.” the demon’s lips twitched. “But I suppose we will not know for sure until we reach castle of the Moon.”

“Uhm…”

“Kagome, was it?”

Kagome nodded mutely.

“Now, we did prepare Ah-Un for you,” the woman flicked her hand towards a saddled, two-headed dragon, “but we can of course bear you in your litter as well if you prefer.”

Kagome glanced uncertainly at her _norimono_. Thirty guards and six banner bearers had seen her safely from Edo to Izumo. Here at the border awaiting her was the tall woman, dragon mount, and only a handful of guards. Well, these new escorts were all youkai and the remaining journey was not that long.

“I think I have sat in the _norimono_ long enough for a life time,” she replied after a careful consideration.

“Splendid,” the demon smirked. “I hope we become good friends, Kagome. I always wanted a daughter, you know, but alas all I got was that lout of a son… Well, he is not too bad I suppose, you will see. And I am sure he will treat you well. If not, just tell me, and I shall make sure he will.”

Kagome nodded. Her nervousness was dissipating, though for the most part, she felt quite overwhelmed.

_What have I got into?_


	2. Eye-opening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A small miracle happened, and a 10 months after the original one shot I wrote this sequel on a whim.  
> Hold your horses, though, since I have **no** plans at present for any further continuation.

The marriage had been purely political, and the agreement sealed by the match had been greatly beneficial for the youkai community as a whole. Sesshoumaru had not been even remotely pleased about his nuptials; he had not wanted to wed anyone, youkai or human. But this matter was bigger than him.

Over the past few centuries, humans had bred like pests. Their population had swelled and spread over the islands like a tidal wave. The youkai sorely needed lands of their own, away from human settlements. His mother sat in the council and had been one of the most vocal supporters of treating with the human Shogunate. The marriage and the agreement it symbolised were greatly beneficial to human and youkai alike, and Sesshoumaru would honour it – though he wished they would have found someone else to saddle with a mortal spouse.

Sesshoumaru regarded his wife as a minor inconvenience. His impression of her was vague; he mostly saw her in passing and had made no effort to get to know her. She seemed like a kind, demure woman, quick to smile, polite and well-mannered as one would expect from an official’s daughter. She was always well-groomed and rather pretty for a human. She even smelled nice. But as far as Sesshoumaru could gather, pleasing his eyes was the only thing she was good for.

His mother, however, was very taken with the human. How or why, Sesshoumaru couldn’t tell. Though his mother saw the benefit in keeping diplomatic ties with the mortals, she had never taken a personal interest in them. Once a visiting kitsune lord had had a human child as his ward. His mother had inquired if he always brought snacks.

Speak of the devil. Her heavy _youki_ and faint perfume announced her presence moments before she slid open the doors of his study and strode in.

“Go away, mother,” he growled, peering down at the chaos of papers littering his desk.

“You shall join me for tea today,” the demoness announced loftily, as if she hadn’t heard Sesshoumaru’s plea. He’d noticed that even when he managed to get a word in, they often seemed to fall to deaf ears. Just one of the reasons why he found conversing with his mother vexing.

“I am afraid I am preoccupied,” he said in a clipped tone.

His mother clicked her tongue. Sesshoumaru’s shoulders stiffened and his gaze finally flicked up from his papers.

The demoness was smiling, but her golden eyes were hard.

“Just gracefully accept the invitation, whelp. Unless you want me to insist?”

Sesshoumaru gritted his teeth.

“Thank you, mother,” he deadpanned. “Tea sounds lovely.”

“Splendid! I will see you in an hour.”

In a whirl of silk, his mother was gone as quickly as she had arrived, and Sesshoumaru pinched the bridge of his nose.

Sesshoumaru had been unable to concentrate since his mother had left, so he was almost relieved to leave his study when the time came.

“There you are!” his mother greeted him as soon as he stepped into the room. She waved at him imperiously and Sesshoumaru crossed the room, stepping out onto the veranda overlooking the inner garden.

“It will do you good to get some sun. Why you insist on stewing in that stuffy room I will never understand,” she huffed as he took a seat next to her.

Sesshoumaru could already feel the beginning of a headache behind his eyes.

“It is for work, mother.”

“Bah. You were always too serious a pup, I do not know where I went wrong with you. I worry for you, Sesshoumaru – you should have learned by now that there is more to life than work!”

Sesshoumaru’s ire flared and he tried to regain his composure while he watched his mother gracefully pour the tea. Deciding the best course of action was to change the subject entirely, he asked the first thing on his mind.

“I thought the human was joining us?”

His mother frowned as she handed him the teacup.

“Such manners... I would be more inclined to answer if you addressed your lady properly.”

Sesshoumaru stared into his tea and fought the urge to roll his eyes.

“Is Kanae joining us?”

“ _Kagome_. Your wife’s name is Kagome.” His mother shook her head in exasperation. “No, it will be just you and me today.”

Sesshoumaru’s eyebrow arched.

“But I can smell her.”

“That is because she is over there, you blind pup.”

Sesshoumaru looked out into the garden and with a jolt realised his mother was right: the human was in fact there. He barely recognised her without all her finery. She wore a plain blue kimono, and a dark hakama bearing a geometric pattern, a stark contrast to the usual fine embroidered silks of carefully co-ordinated layers and artistically tied obis. Her black hair was not coaxed into an elaborate style held together by a wealth of combs and pins; it was gathered on a high tail that flowed down her back. And in her hands was a slender bow, fully drawn. Unaware of his stare, she focused on her target and loosed the arrow. It burst forth and sank in the small red circle in the centre where three others already perched.

Sesshoumaru blinked slowly, his tea forgotten. His wife smiled so brightly her blue eyes sparkled. Then, she drew in a breath, picked and notched another arrow, and with practised ease pulled the tall bow taut once again.

“Beautiful, is it not? Every step fluid and precise, yet it seems as elegant as a dance,” his mother murmured.

Sesshoumaru’s head slowly dipped in a small nod.

A pretty face alone would not have been enough to win his mother over. There had to be something remarkable about the human for the demon matriarch to have taken such an interest in her.

His gaze thoughtful, Sesshoumaru studied his wife as if he was seeing her for the first time.

Perhaps he had been too quick to write her off.

                                                             

 


End file.
